A's sign Trevor Cahill for 5 years, $30.5 mil

A'S

Published 4:00 am, Monday, April 11, 2011

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill walks off the field after sixth inning AL action against the Toronto BLue Jays in Toronto on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill walks off the field after sixth inning AL action against the Toronto BLue Jays in Toronto on Thursday, April 7, 2011.

Photo: Frank Gunn, AP

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Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill throws to the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of the home opener in Oakland on Friday.

Athletics starting pitcher Trevor Cahill throws to the Seattle Mariners in the first inning of the home opener in Oakland on Friday.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

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Starting pitcher Trevor Cahill delivers in the first inning of the A's spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix on Saturday.

Starting pitcher Trevor Cahill delivers in the first inning of the A's spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix on Saturday.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

A's sign Trevor Cahill for 5 years, $30.5 mil

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(04-12) 04:00 PDT CHICAGO -- Trevor Cahill joked with A's general manager Billy Beane that if Beane had signed him a year ago, when Cahill was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento, he would have accepted any amount.

Over the course of last season, the price tag went way up, and on Monday afternoon before Oakland's 2-1 victory over the White Sox in 10 innings at U.S. Cellular Field, Cahill signed a five-year deal worth a guaranteed $30.5 million. The team holds options worth $13 million in 2016, with a buyout of $300,000, and $13.5 million in 2017, with a buyout of $500,000.

The contract is a testament to Cahill's transformation last season, going from demoted in April to All-Star in July and 18-game winner by season's end.

"In all my years here, I've never seen someone make such great strides in such a short amount of time," Beane said of Cahill, who will start tonight's game against the White Sox.

The A's signed Cahill's fellow 23-year-old rotation mate, left-hander Brett Anderson, to a four-year deal worth $12.5 million last April, but since then, Toronto signed starter Ricky Romero to a five-year, $30.1 million deal, pushing up the market.

Cahill's deal is almost identical to the one starter Clay Buchholz signed with Boston on Sunday.

Anderson said he has no problem with his good friend getting a much richer deal, saying, "It's awesome. Knowing that Trevor and Kurt Suzuki and I are locked in for several years is great. That's a good core to build on."

Suzuki, the A's catcher, said he's starting to feel like former Oakland catcher Ramon Hernandez, who was behind the plate for much of the Big Three era.

"I think it's cool," Suzuki said. "I know trades can happen, but if everything goes as planned, we're going to be here together for a while."

Left-hander Gio Gonzalez is among those who could be next in line for a multiyear deal, along with first baseman Daric Barton, who will be arbitration-eligible after this season.

"It looks like everyone in the rotation is getting a deal," Gonzalez said with a grin. "I'm crossing my fingers."

Cahill's deal includes a $1 million signing bonus, and he will make $500,000 this year, $3.5 million in 2012, $5.5 million in 2013, $7.7 million in 2014 and $12 million in 2015. The second option year increases to $14 million if Cahill finishes in the top two in Cy Young voting in any of the next six seasons.

With his newfound wealth, Cahill can buy a lot of toys. Actual toys.

"I think he has a chance of creating the world's largest Lego collection," A's reliever Craig Breslow joked. "Maybe he could build us a new stadium - out of Legos."

Described as a geek by most of his teammates for his undisguised love of Lego blocks and "Star Wars" movies and memorabilia, Cahill was getting some grief Monday. Gonzalez said that Cahill would shop in "the 'Star Wars' home department" and speculated that Cahill might fix up his car "so that it turns into a spaceship."

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